AI files and GIMP

I know that gimp can open eps files. But I am having trouble with AI files. I click on the open button and a screen comes up, I select the file I want. click to import and then it freezes. I waited and waited and well "not responding". I hit cancel and try to open a different file type and have no problem. Any suggestions?

I just tested this now. I had a number of old Illustrator files lying around (made with Illustrator 8). Hit File>Open in GIMP and then choose "All Files" from the file format pop-up menu in the lower right hand corner. If it's set to "All Images" .ai files won't show up. Pick your image and it will load them the same way it does .eps. Apparently .ai is almost the same as .eps, except it's Adobe's version.

Note that this works with Illustrator 8 files (that were not to complex), I don't know how well it will work with the latest version of Illustrator. An alternative is to ask whoever gave you the files to give you .eps or bitmap files instead. :)

As ragtag wrote, but Gimp do not handle to well vector files.
And there is another problem ,even if the name is remained identical, Adobe changed the AI format , and i believe only the older AI (done with illustator pre-CS, or saved to be backward compatible )may be opened with Inkscape...about Gimp i didn't know that could open any kind of AI...but if worked for Ragtag may work for you

Save them as postscript files and they will open up in GIMP. They say you don't need Ghostscript installed now, but I recently had an issues that required me to have the appropriate links for Ghostscript (updated Ghostscript to the latest and forget to change the Environmental variable links). If GIMP didn't require Ghostscript, then why did I have to do this? So you will more then likely need Ghostscript too and I do believe it is ai 89 compatible (believe that's the rev.). Better to just export as SVG or PS (I do believe if you export it as SVG that you don't need Ghostscript). :)

On windows ghostscript is required.
Anyway since i have no any other reason to use Ghostscript on Windows, even because contain a sort of disturbing adware that i was not able to kill, i resolve not editing variables but just copying (both :!: )the ghostscript .exe and moving the copies in the gimp bin folder

I've used Ghostscript for nearly a decade now PC and don't remember getting ad-ware. Sorry that it has happened to you. Didn't know that all you really needed was GS's executable placed in GIMP's Bin folder for this to work. That's cool. I also use Ghostscript/Ghostview combo to create PDFs (use to use Redmond's virtual printer, but I don't really make PDFs that often anymore and since my latest rebuild, just kept GS and GV installed) and export vector files embeded in PDFs and Postscript files for use in other applications when needed. :)

While I'm here, I have another question. Since Ghostscript is open source, why can't that code be borrowed by GIMP so that this can truely be a part of GIMP itself? Don't know if this violates any eula or other agreements. Just bringing that up. :)

Ghostscript do not display a "ad" to you?
Will be no nasty once, just state that" GS is free ,open source, but donations are welcome, i am invite to register my copy ,(if i'm not wrong "register" include a fee ) "

Nothing too bad but i hate that bumping on every time i want open a PDF...may be a way to disable it from GS the point is that ad has not a "don't show again " checkbox, and i do not like be forced to investigate how to remove it.

About your question i was wandering on the same point...i may be wrong but seems that Gimp do not need Ghostscript as program but only some libraries included .

But i believe this will be fixed somehow in the future PDF should be supported out of the box

Never heard of .ai files till today...I'll tell you the reason in a mo', y'all might be interested :)

My question is can either Gimp or Inkscape save a file in .ai format? And if not, is there any way that I can produce something (ideally in) Gimp and later convert it (without loss of data) to .ai format? (neither program lists .ai in the list of saveable extensions).

Urgh, sorry. This is the sort of thing that makes me want to shutdown the computer and take up stick whittling.. :(